Why is it so important? It has to do with your identity, with who you
are. It has to do with the direction of your life, the rock you hold onto,
feeds your goals, and your dreams. The answer to the question also determines
the purpose of your life. What on earth are you supposed to do with your life?
It also answers the question about eternity, where do you go when you die?
There are a lot of things tied up into one very important question and
your answer to it. Who is Jesus?
Back in the 70’s Josh McDowell wrote a book titled ‘More Than a
Carpenter’. I read it around 1990 and it changed my faith. The whole book was
focused on answering Who Jesus Is? The question the book asked, was Jesus Lord,
Liar, or Lunatic? Josh and his son Sean have released an updated version in
2014, and I would highly recommend it.
As we look to answer this question, we are going to start by looking at
a time when Jesus proposed this same question to His disciples.
Mark 8:29
“But you,” He asked
them again, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter
answered Him, “You are the Messiah!”
Jesus had gathered His disciples
together and asked them “Who do the people say that I am?” They are in an area
called Ponnino, the home of the Greek god Pan. The city was once an area of
Ba’al worship and as a Roman city was also a place where Caesar was worshipped
as a god. Syrian gods were worshipped in surrounding villages. This area was
full of all the different ancient religions and it was here that Jesus asked
His followers, “Who do the people say that I am?”
They said people thought He was John the Baptist alive from the dead,
or that He was Elijah. Others thought Jesus was a prophet like those we see in
the Old Testament. Jesus than asked his disciples directly. “Who do you say
that I am?” Peter answered first saying that He believed that Jesus was the
Messiah.
Throughout history people have been trying to answer this question. Who
is Jesus? At Jesus’ bidding Peter walked on water. Peter was there when Jesus
feed over 5,000 people. He witnessed Jesus create a whip and chase the money
changers out of the temple.
Who is this guy? Every person has to ask and answer this question.
There are many ‘popular’ answers to who Jesus is out there and this morning we
are going to consider a few of them as we answer; Who is Jesus?
Some people say that Jesus is a decent person. He was a good person who
created ‘the golden rule’ showing he was a friend of the poor, an advocate for
those down on their luck, and a loving friend to everyone. I don’t know anyone
who says that Jesus was a bad guy, but some people just limit Him to being a
good guy. He loved everyone.
Problem with this first answer to our question this morning is that it
contradicts what Jesus said. He claimed to be far more than a ‘good guy’, far
more that a decent person. Jesus claimed to be God Himself. In fact, He
referred to Himself as the Son of Man 80 times in the four gospels.
Matthew 8:20
“20 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have
nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
People of Jesus’ day would have found
this claim as an affront and not something that any decent person would say.
They were familiar with the Book of Daniel and would have known that the title
‘Son of Man’ would be for the coming Lord.
Daniel 7:13-14“13 I continued watching in the night visions, and I saw One like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before Him. 14 He was given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away,
and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.”
Sounds like Daniel was talking about Jesus, and he was talking about a divine being. One with authority, a kingdom, and an everlasting dominion that will not pass away. While I would hope a divine being who is described in a vision Daniel had would be a decent fellow or a nice guy, I don’t see how Jesus could be limited to being a nice guy since these verses are talking about Him.
This nice guy Jesus was also using another phrase that distinguished Him as more than a decent person.
John 6:35
“35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.”
John 8:12
“12 Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
“I Am” is how God identified Himself to Moses as he stood before the burning bush. Another title that would not have been taken lightly by the people who heard Jesus.
Jesus claimed to forgive sins, to be greater than Jonah, than Abraham, than Solomon, and even greater than John the Baptist, He claimed to be greater than the Temple and the Sabbath. Jesus claimed to be way more than a ‘nice guy’ so that cannot be the answer to the question about who Jesus is.
Another possible answer to the ultimate question we are trying to answer this morning is that Jesus was a demented fool. People who say this think Jesus must be crazy since he claimed to be God. They would equate Him to megalomaniacs like Alexander the Great or Adolph Hitler for all His craziness.
The struggle with this answer to the question about who Jesus is does not add up. How could Jesus be a demented fool and have inspired people as He did? Think of your readings over the last several weeks, people did not just respect Jesus they loved Him. They left their homes, businesses, and families to follow Him.
Max Lucado wrote:
“Men and women alike tethered their hope to His life. Impulsive people like Peter…visionaries like Philip…passionate men like John…careful men like Thomas…methodical men like Matthew the tax collector.”
These people were better; they were changed for the good because of their encounter with Jesus. If you look back through history demented fools did not have a positive impact on their followers. Hitler created murderers, Stalin created power addicts, and Manson created wackos. Jesus had a positive impact on people.
Jesus did not make people into lunatics or murderers, He made them better. With common fishermen writing some of the most revered books in human history. Not to mention that the small group of nobodies that spent the most time with Him continued spreading His teachings after His death.
What about Jesus’ teaching? If you remember last week we talked about how He taught with authority and clarity. He won the admiration of men and women from all walks of life. From Pharisees to tax collectors to fishermen, Jesus’ teaching inspired them. His mind was obviously not one of a demented fool.
Another possible answer to our question this morning would be that Jesus was simply a fraud. He set out to deceive people, a trickster, a huckster, a pied-piper who led blind followers over the cliff to their destruction. This answer would require one to believe that Jesus tricked people into believing that He was the Messiah.
Could Jesus have been no more than a deceiving fraud? If He was a fraud, how would you explain all the miracles that He performed? He was known for doing amazing things that the people had not seen before. He feed thousands with only a couple of handfuls of food, He healed lepers, calmed storms, walked on water, healed the blind, healed the lame, and replaced a severed ear. There are something like 36 different miracles that He performed recorded in the gospels. How could a fraud do all these things?
Everyone knew of Jesus’ ability to do miracles, He did them all the time and out in the open. But He never performed miracles to merely draw a crowd or to make a name for Himself. Scripture points out several times that Jesus wanted people to keep it quiet.
Matthew 9:30
“30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out!”
In Mark when He healed a leper and when He raised Jairus daughter from the dead, He told him not to say anything to anyone. There are several more instances of when Jesus told them to not tell anyone, this is not something you would expect from someone trying to make a name for Himself.
Jesus never grandstanded His miraculous powers as a trickster would have done, He did not seek money or fame by performing miracles. He simply did them for two reasons; to help people and to prove his identity.
Around 120 AD a historian named Quadratus wrote to Emperor Hadrian:
“The works of our Savior were lasting for they were genuine. Those who were healed and those who were raised from the dead were seen not merely while our Savior was on earth, but also after His death they were alive quite awhile so that some of them lived even to our day.”
A historical reference that supports that Jesus performed miracles, not something a fraud could pull off.
Now if Jesus was a fraud, I would have expected the church in Jerusalem to have died off. What typically happens after a popular leader leaves a church, it shrinks and dies. The exact opposite happened with the death of Jesus. Instead of the church shrinking we see it grow like crazy. A fraud would not have performed these miracles or had such a lasting impact on those that were His followers.
So if Jesus is not just a nice guy, a demented fool, or a fraud we are limited to one answer to the question about who Jesus is. Who is Jesus? He is our Divine Friend. He is exactly as He said He was, the Son of God. When you review all that Jesus taught and all the things that He did this is the only answer that makes sense.
Jesus did miraculous things with a wonderful heart, showing that He was a tender, compassionate person who befriended and truly helped people. He showed by the miracles that He performed that He did have power and authority.
Was Jesus just a decent person or nice guy? No, would a nice guy claim to be God and not be?
How about a demented fool? No, the lasting impact He had on the people around Him shows that His teaching and love was genuine.
A deceiving fraud? No, how could a fraud perform these miracles and change lives.
Jesus is the One and Only God.
Peter said it best when asked by Jesus who He was.
Mark 8:29
“But you,” He asked
them again, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter
answered Him, “You are the Messiah!”
The Messiah, the one who died on the cross to pay for our sins out of His love for us.
Who is Jesus? This is the most important question you will answer in your life; Who is Jesus? Is Jesus your Messiah? Will you accept Him or will you reject Him?
If Jesus is not your Messiah and you understand that you are a sinner and that no matter what you cannot make it to heaven on your own. Jesus is offering you an amazing gift, all you have to do is ask and believe that He forgive you for your sins. A simple prayer asking Him to forgive you and asking Him to be the Lord over your life starts you on an amazing journey.
Pray this,
"Lord Jesus, I understand that I am a sinner and there is nothing I can do to change that. I believe that you are the Son of God and it is through your death on the cross that my sins can be forgiven. Jesus please forgive me of my sins and help me to learn to be like you. In your Holy name I pray, Amen."
If you have prayed this prayer for the first time I want to welcome you to the family of God. Please get in touch with me, go to the link below, or visit your local church so that you can learn more about what it means and the next steps.
How to Become a Christian
God Bless,
Robert
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